Abdication front pages inspired Crown plot
Speculation about Queen’s future in the national press inspired depiction of King seeking to oust his mother
THE portrayal by The Crown of the King as an impatient, scheming heir to the throne in its new series has already caused controversy. But The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that the inspiration for the storyline was a brief debate over Queen Elizabeth II’s future as she reached 65, which does not even feature in the Netflix drama.
Writer Peter Morgan was fascinated by the 1991 debate, which came as the Queen reached the age at which men could then collect their state pension.
The Mirror ran a story asking if it was time for her to “hang up her crown” while the Express mused: “With Prince Charles waiting in the wings, is it time for her to step down and enjoy a happy and glorious retirement?” Others news outlets followed suit.
While the debate does not feature in the fifth series, which is released on Wednesday, it was used by Mr Morgan as the jumping off point for one of its main storylines. He is said to have been fascinated by the manner in which the monarch’s 65th birthday captured the public imagination.
It provided an argument for abdication the year before the late Queen’s annus horribilis of 1992.
Sources close to the show say it proves it is research-based and grounded heavily in “the events and feeling of the times”.
They also claim that Mr Morgan’s overall depiction of the then Prince of Wales is “nuanced and supportive”.
He is portrayed, they insist, as an agent for change and reform, keen to protect the monarchy’s future by ensuring that it moves with the times.
In doing so, he is shown clashing with his mother, warning her what could happen if the institution does not move forward with the rest of the world.
“You cannot be blamed for living a long life,” he tells her in the series.
“But you have to accept that your values were shaped by Queen Mary, hers by Queen Victoria.
“I’m just worried, mummy, that if we continue to hold on to these Victorian notions of how the monarchy should look, how it should feel, then the world will move on and those who come after you will be left with nothing.”
Prince Charles, played by Dominic
West, is also shown trying to recruit the prime ministers of the day to his cause, suggesting they might recognise his plight and agree that the institution was in need of a revamp.
He summons Sir John Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller, to a secret meeting at Highgrove in 1991, hinting he could replace his mother just as the Conservative party had ousted Margaret Thatcher the previous year.
“What makes the Conservative Party successful? Its instinct for renewal and its willingness to make way for someone younger,” he says.
Towards the end of the series, he is shown telling Sir Tony Blair in 1997: “If we want to preserve what’s best about the Crown then two modern, forwardthinking men might need to work together to protect not only the monarchy’s future but, as heir to the throne, my future, too.”
Yesterday, both former prime ministers condemned the programme for showing the King trying to involve them in a plot against his mother. Sir John said the storylines were “utterly untrue” while Sir Tony described them as “complete and utter rubbish”.
The storyline may have provoked ire but the notion of abdication was floated quite widely during the 1990s, when it was largely viewed as support for the then Prince Charles rather than a judgment on the late Queen.
A poll in 1990 found that almost half of those surveyed were in favour of the Queen abdicating at some point in favour of the Prince of Wales.
As she turned 65 on April 21, 1991, The
Telegraph sought to reflect the public mood. “Given the Queen enjoys good health and shows no sign of flagging, it is the argument in favour of the Prince of Wales that has proved most enduring,” one report said.
“The notion is that he will find it hard to wait his turn, that a real role must be found for him.”
It added: “Others believe this is a problem feared more by his admirers than by the Prince himself.”
A source close to The Crown said: “Morgan seeks to dramatise historical events as they happened. He can’t change history, he reflects it.”
Elizabeth Debicki, who portrays Diana, Princess of Wales, in the new series, has said she feels audiences know The Crown is “clearly fictional”.
She told The Guardian: “I understand what the show is and what it’s trying to do. I also understand the reaction to it. I think this is a period of time that’s been told many times over and will continue to be told, and I know the degree of care and respect people enter into these stories with.
“I mean, it is clearly fictional. I feel like audiences know that, because there are actors, playing parts.
“I never watched The Crown and thought, ‘This is a documentary’ or ‘This is obviously true’.”